


Something to Keep to Himself

by Lady_Sci_Fi



Series: The Life and Times of Mike Yates and John Benton [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25700482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Sci_Fi/pseuds/Lady_Sci_Fi
Summary: Sergeant Benton fancies Captain Mike Yates, something he knows he has to keep to himself.
Relationships: John Benton/Mike Yates
Series: The Life and Times of Mike Yates and John Benton [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978336
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Something to Keep to Himself

**Author's Note:**

> Prequel to "The Start of Something." https://archiveofourown.org/works/18446018
> 
> This story references the Big Finish audio "The Vengeance of the Stones," which is about how Yates joined UNIT.

Sergeant Benton nodded as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart introduced himself, the Doctor, and Benton to the regular Army Lieutenant Yates. They were on assignment to Scotland, investigating some strange going-ons, and Yates was assigned to work with them for the mission.

“I expect I’ll need to coordinate with Sergeant Benton to get everything set up for you?” Yates asked. Was it Benton’s imagination, or did he sound quite eager to do that? Then was that disappointment when the Brigadier told him they already had everything they needed in order?

Had to be his imagination, although that little quick smile Yates flashed him before the group got to business wasn’t, and Benton admitted to himself that it was rather nice.

Benton didn’t have much opportunity to chat with the Lieutenant the next couple of days, nothing more than standard reporting and such. But then Yates had gone missing while investigating a stone circle, and Benton felt the need to find him as soon as possible. If he had been killed by whatever forces were out there…

Benton shook his head. They would find him, hopefully well.

This was the first time Benton had willingly disobeyed the Doctor, obviously discounting when the Brigadier told him to. But he wasn’t going to let the harmed and unwell Lieutenant Yates spend another second in the clutches of these hostile aliens. So he had fired his gun at them, causing enough chaos for Yates to get to their side and escape the hideout with them.

Benton went to the infirmary, and made a beeline for Yates once he spotted him in one of the beds. The man saw him approach, and gingerly pushed himself to sit upright.

“Steady on, sir,” Benton said, pulling a nearby chair to Yates’ bedside.

“Come to check on me, have you?”

“Of course.” Benton sat and waited a few seconds before asking, “What did they do with you?”

“Ah, well…” Yates sighed. “Tortured me. They wanted information and revenge. Since I was the one they caught, they thought they could get both from me.” He added quickly, “Wasn’t too bad. I expect I’ll be alright soon enough.”

“Don’t push yourself, sir,” Benton advised. “No need to hurt yourself if you can help it.”

Yates nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” He smiled, a little tightly from the lingering effects of the torture. “Thank you, you and the Doctor, for rescuing me.”

“We were hardly going to leave you to them.”

“All the same. I don’t want to consider what would’ve happened if they’d kept me much longer.”

“You’re welcome.”

Yates smiled again. “And I appreciate your concern now, Sergeant.”

Benton nodded in response. He’d felt the need to see Yates for himself, even though he had been told he should recover fully. Unfortunately, he did have to leave. As he stood and replaced the chair, Yates requested, “Would you tell me when they start deciding on battle plans? I’d at least like to be present, and possibly offer my help.”

Benton nodded. “Then rest up, sir.”

And, after the situation had been taken care of, the capable Lieutenant Yates took the Brigadier’s offer to join UNIT. If anyone asked what he thought of Yates, there was a second part of that description- handsome- that was something Benton had to keep to himself.

********

“Sir, what about this?” Benton relayed his idea over the large map on the table. But then he lost confidence, and ended with, “Ah, might be a daft idea, really.”

Yates turned his head to look to the other man. “Daft? It’s better than what I was coming up with. I hadn’t even considered…”

“You mean that, sir?”

Yates smiled a little. “Of course I do. Why would you think your idea bad?”

“I… I don’t really know.” Benton admitted.

Yates hummed slightly. “Well, I think you’re quite valuable, Sergeant. Indispensable.”

Benton couldn’t help the appreciative soft smile as Yates’ gaze returned to the map.

This was the first major paired assignment for Sergeant Benton and the recently-promoted Captain Yates. Seeing to the clean-up of the Silurians- finding their other underground bases and making certain they were all still in hibernation. It required them spending a lot of time together, going over the logistics in HQ and being out in the field.

It presented a sort of a problem for Benton. Not a major one, but one that had slowly crept up on him.

He had known of his… attraction to other men before he had joined the army, almost fresh out of school. He knew it was something to keep discreet and never act on. It hadn’t really been an issue the past couple of years. But Captain Yates… well, he was hitting those buttons.

He found his looks to the other man sometimes lingering longer than appropriate, and he’d had to become mindful of his soft smiles towards him when Yates wasn’t looking at him.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have admitted Yates was good-looking when they’d met in Scotland. But really, that would’ve been difficult to have not done. And now that he was spending so much time in close-quarters with him, getting to know him more deeply, that was impossible.

If only there was a way to get off of this assignment with Yates without making either of them look bad or arousing some sort of suspicions. And then what about the assignments that were to come? He couldn’t get out of all of them.

No, he would simply have to keep his thoughts and growing attraction towards Captain Yates to himself.

********

“Mike, if the Brigadier sent you two here to rush us…” the Doctor complained as Yates and Benton interrupted him and Liz.

Mike, Benton echoed in his head. This was the first time he’d heard someone casually use the captain’s first name. He liked the sound of it, though knew he would never get away with it himself. The Doctor and Liz had that freedom, but Benton? Certainly not.

“Sorry, but he does want you to try to get it done before the end of the day,” Yates apologized.

Benton nodded at the scientists, though his mind was still thinking about how much he wanted to call Yates by his first name. And also, how much he wanted Yates to call him by his. How nice it would sound, especially when accompanied by that charming smile.

Benton refocused, needing to distract himself before he slipped and did call the captain by his name. That desire was something he needed to keep to himself.

********

“Here, sir. I brought you something.” Benton set the steaming mug next to the stack of reports on the desk.

They’d both had a long night, on stake-out of a suspicious steel manufacturing factory for most of it. Neither of them was at their most awake yet.

Yates looked down to the contents of the mug, then up at the sergeant. “Coffee?”

Benton nodded, hoping his fingers at his sides weren’t betraying his nervous feeling. This wasn’t something he did for just anyone.

“Thanks. More of that can’t hurt.” He let out a tiny yawn, and lifted the mug. He paused as the aroma hit his nose before taking a long sip. He hummed at the taste, and looked up to Benton again. “This isn’t the canteen coffee, is it?”

“Ah… no, sir.”

“Specially made, then?” His eyes widened slightly. “Did you make it?”

“I did.”

Mike beamed at him. Benton had been hoping for that reaction, having wanted to do something to make Yates specifically smile for him. Yates complimented, “It’s great. It’s really good. Certainly, far better than the canteen.” He took another long drink. “No contest.”

Benton responded with a little lopsided grin of his own. “Thanks, sir.” Another thing to keep to himself.

A couple days later, Benton looked up from inspecting one of the jeeps in the garage at the call out from Yates. “Yes, sir?”

“Are you done with that?”

“Just about. Did you need me?”

Yates responded, “Perhaps not need, but come with me anyway?”

“Alright.” Benton had no idea what the captain wanted him for, but he wasn’t going to turn him down. He finished up with the vehicle a minute later, and followed Yates back into UNIT HQ proper.

Benton didn’t question as Yates stopped to get a few things from the food stores, and handed him two mugs. He couldn’t see what exactly was in Yates’ hands as they continued on. What was something to internally question was the slightly sneaky way Yates was acting. 

Yates led Benton to the Doctor’s lab. Now Benton did prompt, “Sir? What are we doing in here?” He raised his hand holding the mugs to emphasize the point.

Yates closed the door behind them. He sent a playful smile Benton’s way before looking around the countertops. “Ah, there’s one.” He went over to a bunsen burner and turned on the flame.

“You want to make a drink with the Doctor’s equipment?” Benton realized.

“Not just any drink,” Yates affirmed, his smile now with a mischievous note.

“But the Doctor won’t like us using his things for this.”

“He’s away with the Brigadier and Liz right now. He doesn’t have to know.”

“I… I suppose not.” Not as long as the Doctor didn’t return soon. And really, where was the harm in this? He knew Yates had a playful side, which was a factor in the attraction to him.

“That’s the spirit.” Yates patted Benton’s upper arm. He put the items in his arm down on the counter next to the lit burner.

“Cocoa?” Benton asked. There was also a small container of sugar, and a little bottle of cinnamon. Not basic run-of-the-mill cocoa, then, but a specific way Yates made it.

“My little stash I have hidden here.” Yates filled a large glass container with water and placed it on the metal support over the flame.

“Do you always sneak into the Doc’s lab to make it?” Benton teased, setting the mugs down on the counter and leaning back against it.

“No, this is my first time doing that,” Yates answered with a laugh. “Thought I should have an accomplice.”

Benton laughed lowly, and watched Mike stare at the boiling water. The quiet between them wasn’t uncomfortable. He wondered if this was a sort of repayment for the coffee. Whatever it was, Benton was going to enjoy this peaceful moment, he could tell.

A couple minutes later, both mugs were filled, with a wonderful aroma coming out in the steam. “Smells wonderful,” Benton commented, raising his mug to his mouth. He took a long first sip. “Tastes it, too.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Yates replied before taking a drink himself.

Benton hid his soft smile behind his mug as he took another savouring sip. He realized Yates was doing the same. He had a sudden urge to kiss the other man, thinking on how Yates’ lips would taste, with that cocoa and cinnamon hint on them. Another thing to keep to himself.

********

“Captain!” Benton shouted out as Yates fell from the small helicopter when a sudden strong unnatural gust of wind turned the vehicle nearly sideways. He could barely watch as Yates fell into the large Welsh river below as he fought to regain control.

As soon as he got just enough control back, Benton glanced around for any sort of clearing downriver that he could fit the helicopter in. “Oh no you don’t,” he growled at another unnatural blast of wind. He barely managed to keep the helicopter steady enough to continue downriver.

Thankfully, a clearing appeared not far away. Benton steered the helicopter closer to the treetops, hoping whatever it was- no doubt the thing they were here to investigate- would no longer see him as a threat and send him straight into the trees.

As soon as the vehicle touched down on the grass, Benton jumped out. “Captain!” he shouted. He knew he was a little distance away from the river, and immediately hurried off in that direction, hoping the flow wouldn’t have carried Yates far away by the time he got to it.

“Captain Yates!” he yelled, now seeing the water through the trees. Even if the river had carried him far, Benton refused to return to the mobile HQ without him.

Benton burst out onto the sandy riverbank, frantically looking for any sign of Yates. “Captain! Please respond!” he called out. He spotted the man crawling out of the fast-moving water some way downstream. “Oh, thank goodness,” Benton muttered as he ran to him.

When he reached Yates, the captain was sitting up, huddled in on himself, shivering heavily, and expectedly absolutely sodden. Yates looked up as Benton crouched down next to him.

“Are you alright, sir?” Benton’s hand fell to Yates’ shoulder, feeling just how cold the other man was.

“N-not a nice d-day for a swim,” Yates stammered through chattering teeth. To answer the question, he said, “Bumps and bru-bruises.”

Benton nodded, not seeing any immediate urgent injuries. What worried him more was Yates’ cold and wet state in the cool autumn air. Yates reached the same conclusion, and his shaking fingers began undoing his uniform jacket.

“Rather not… not catch my d-death out here.”

“I’d prefer that, too.” Benton helped him out of the jacket and shirt, seeing Yates’ shoulder was stiff from pain.

It wasn’t the most appropriate time for his attraction to Yates to pop up, and he had to justify it as looking for injuries, but Benton couldn’t resist the brief moment he allowed himself to look down to the other’s exposed torso. Smooth, leanly-muscled… what he imagined would’ve been under the top half of the uniform. He forced himself to push those thoughts away, yet another thing to keep to himself.

“Here.” Benton took off his own uniform jacket. “Help keep you warmer.”

Yates nodded, and gingerly put his arms through the sleeves. “And to keep some of my dignity when we get back to the lads.”

Benton gave a tiny smile at the lightheartedness. He buttoned up the front for Yates. He couldn’t help but to appreciate the sight of the other man wearing his clothes, and thought to what Yates would look like wearing one of his non-uniform jackets. Maybe the denim one…

Benton shook his head, letting that thought join the others on that certain list.

********

“-geant! Benton!”

Benton’s eyes slowly blinked open, the first sight being that of Yates’ face above him changing from concerned to relieved. Then he registered the pain in his head and ringing in his ears. “What… what happened?”

“You were too close to the explosion,” Yates explained.

“Oh… that makes sense,” Benton muttered, his memory coming back. As the ringing began to fade, he registered the sounds of other soldiers milling around them. He slowly pushed himself to sit up, Yates helping him with a gentle hand. “Sorry, sir.”

“Not your fault.”

“Sir, we found something in there you should see,” one of the soldiers reported, hurrying towards them.

Yates nodded, and ordered, “Corporal Lee, stay with Benton.” He flashed a reassuring little smile to Benton before he got up and turned to hurry inside the smoldering building.

Benton stared at Yates’ back, his thoughts only very slightly delirious as he wished he could wake up to the captain’s face more often, preferably in a bed.

Something else to keep to himself.

********

A little while later, Yates invited him over to his flat to watch a football game. Of course Benton wasn’t going to turn down that offer. He enjoyed any time spent with Yates, even if the casual setting might be inviting more of those thoughts he needed to keep private.

And then, Benton no longer had to keep those things to himself.


End file.
